As part of our visa run to Singapore, we decided to do some tours this time and enjoy of few days of relaxation.  We began by taking a tour of the Jurong Bird Park.  We went with 2 other senior couples and had a wonderful morning together.
This is a picture of the entrance to the park itself.  Through the entire path, gorgeous orchids are growing up both sides and across the trees in purples and whites and yellows.  It was so beautiful, and we didn't even enter the bird park yet.

The cost of things in Singapore are much higher than in Malaysia.  It cost us S$35 (Sing Dollars) per person to go into the park.  Sing Dollars are very close to US Dollars, where the currency in Malaysia (ringgit) is three to one.  One RM (ringgit) is about $.33 cents in American dollars.  We took all six missionaries and both of us out to eat today and it cost me RM 50, which is really only $16.50 for 8 people to eat a very large meal.
We do love living in Malaysia.

 We saw thousands of different colors and kinds of birds through the entire morning.  It was really quite fun to walk all the paths and see so many birds.  You could take pictures with these parrots, but no one wanted to spend the money to hold one of them.

 The flamingos were everywhere and had such bright colors to them.  We just sat there and watched how they walked with their knees turning backwards.  Everything is backwards here, the birds, the driving, the escalators, and the the whole country itself.  We went with Elder and Sister Allen to the park, who have been out on their mission for just one week.  We were also with Elder and Sister Crookston, who were originally assigned to India and then got transferred to the Singapore Mission. 

 This crane just sat there and we had to do a few retakes to see if it was real or not.  It never moved.  Finally, he moved his head and walked away.  At this point in the walking tour, Elder Allen was just dripping with sweat.  It was close to 95 degrees this day and I guess I'm getting use to it.  I told him he would adjust in a few weeks and this would seem normal to him.  I sweat around my collar, but everything else stays dry.  Maybe I am getting use to it.  One Sept. 1, we will begin our sixth month already.

 There was a very beautiful water fall and that only added to the 100% humidity that we were already experiencing.  This is the only picture I could sneak in of Linda.  She really hates to have her picture taken.  She kept moving to the side and I had to snap a quick picture before she moved right out of the picture frame.  She is so cute.

 Here is the beautiful "iguana bird".  Not really, but it was quite neat to see sitting on the rock.  There were other lizards in the park as we walked along the trails.  Seeing this iguana brought back memories for us when we had our own iguana years and years ago.  His name was "Gus".  We had him downstairs and fed him greens.  Later he became so frisky and he could swish his tail and cut open your arm if you weren't careful.  We eventually had to get rid of him.

 Again, the flamingos were a beautiful sight.  There were so graceful in their appearance and walking about.  The tour placards that we read along the way told us that flamingos are really pure white.  It is what they eat that turns their bodies a pink coloring.  I loved to just stand there and watch their necks as they drank up the water.  At this point in the tour, we were hurrying back to the front entrance, where we found some air conditioning.

The tour ended with a large display of parrots right next to the flamingos.  They were making quite a lot of noise as we passed by.  Elder and Sister Allen were dripping wet at this stage of the tour and couldn't wait to get back into the tour bus and have a bit of air conditioning blowing on them.  We then left for our next afternoon tour, after we went to a chicken place for some lunch.  It was a very worthwhile sightseeing tour at this bird park.